I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE

Spurred by the spectacle of a circus tent that goes up outside his Oakland apartment, a disabled filmmaker launches into a meditative journey exploring the history of freakdom, vision, and (in)visibility. Shot entirely from director Reid Davenport’s physical perspective - mounted to his wheelchair or handheld - the film serves as an unequivocal rebuke to the norm of disabled people being seen and not heard. I Didn’t See You There expands on the tradition of point-of-view cinema by incorporating a disabled aesthetic generated through Davenport’s own embodiment.

In theaters: September 30, 2022
POV release: January 2023

2022 / 76 min
Official Website

Directed by Reid Davenport

Produced by: Keith Wilson

Executive Produced by: Alysa Nahmias, Dawn Bonder, Marci Wiseman, Bryn Mooser, Kathryn Everett, and Andy Hsieh

Edited by: Todd Chandler


In association with Breezy Circle, AJNA Films, and XTR

Supported by: Sundance Institute, Doc Society, Bay Area Video Coalition, Points North Institute, Creative Capital, Big Sky Documentary DocShop Filmmaker’s Forum, JustFilms / Ford Foundation, California Humanities, NBC News Original Voices Fellowship, Berkeley Film Foundation, American Stories Documentary Fund, DeNovo Initiative

Distributed by POV on PBS and GOOD DOCS for educational distribution.

Awards & Festivals

Winner, Cinema Eye Honors “Unforgettables”
Nominee, Best Feature Documentary, 2023 Spirit Awards
Nominee, Best Documentary Feature, 2022 Gotham Awards

Sundance Film Festival, Winner: U.S. Documentary Directing Award
Full Frame Film Festival, Winner: Grand Jury Award
SFFILM Festival, Winner: McBaine Bay Area Documentary Award
True/False Film Festival
Hot Docs Film Festival
Rooftop Films NYC
Traverse City Film Festival
Melbourne Film Festival
Sheffield Doc/Fest
Sydney Film Festival
Melbourne International Film Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival
Camden International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival Lab
Loft Film Festival
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Bergen International Film Festival
Cucalorus Film Festival

Selected Press & Reviews

The New York Times
The Atlantic
Vox Magazine
Filmmaker Magazine
Variety
Roger Ebert
Democracy Now (Interview with Reid Davenport)

 
Still image from the film of the protagonist reflected in a window in front of a large red and yellow circus tent.
Still image from the film of a sliver of sunlight slashed across the carpet leading to a pair of feet in socks.
Still image from the film of the protagonists shadow as he travels along the sidwalk in his motorized chair, we only see his shadow and the shadow of the streetlight on the pavement.
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